Why Size Matters in Web Design

Web design is one of the few practices where size really does matter. Like other composition principles, such as colour, texture, graphics and text, size must be considered at every stage of the design process. Determining the right size for various different elements is essential to forming a website that is attractive and easy to use.

One of the size questions asked during the web design process concerns the screen size and resolution your target audience will be using to access your site. This can vary dramatically, from minute smartphone screens to very large computer monitors. It is therefore important to determine the technological limitations of your audience; are they likely to have a multiple monitor set up at home or view sites exclusively through the browser on their smartphone? It is also beneficial to choose a fluid layout that can contract or expand smoothly to a particular user's screen size.

Another essential web design consideration is font size. Choosing the right font size also has a lot to do with your target audience, in that if you are expecting anyone over the age of forty to be reading your content you should choose a larger size for your text. That said, tiny font size is never really appreciated by the reader, even on mobile devices. Although it might seem unnecessarily large at first, sixteen pixels is considered by many to be an ideal font size for large sections of text.

The relative size of different elements on the web page is also considered throughout the web design. The sizes of the brand logo compared to the main image and body text are all carefully chosen to make the layout 'pop' out to the viewer as much as possible.

Posted by: Sukhbir Mehla

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